1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a firing control system with programmable delays for a projectile having at least one warhead.
In the following description and claims, the term "projectile" is understood to mean any device moving towards a target and carrying at least one warhead designed to damage or destroy a target. Such a device may be, for example, a shell, a guided shell, a missile, a munition or sub-munition, a bomb etc, released or fired from a gun, mortar or carriage, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known that, in order to improve the efficiency of certain projectiles (such as anti-runway bombs etc.), the firing of the warhead should be triggered when the projectile has penetrated the target to a determined depth. Besides, attacks against targets fitted out with new types of armor known as active armor, have required the development and perfecting of projectiles with dual warheads, known as tandem warhead projectiles, wherein the first warhead or pre-charge is fired to neutralize the active protection of the armor, and then a second warhead or primary charge is fired. The time lag of operation between warheads or charges is decisive for the effectiveness of the device.
Until now, the time lag between the firing of the warheads has been determined beforehand, and has therefore been fixed. The result thereof has been a compromise between a certain number of factors related to the characteristics of the projectile, to the supposed parameters of this projectile on impact with the target and/or to the nature of the target. This has resulted in overall performance characteristics that are not optimized with respect to the tasks to be performed.
The present invention is aimed at taking account of additional information in real time to carry out an optimum determination of the delays in the firing of the warheads and hence at programming and modifying these delays. Indeed, the applicant has observed that the values of optimum delay needed to obtain the highest efficiency of the projectile vary as a function especially of the speed of the projectile at the instant of impact on the target, the angle of incidence of the projectile on the target and the type of target considered according to relationships that can be determined.